[davidd]

[quote=”clayton”]They are always getting these two Islands confused![/quote]

you mean to tell me for the past 15 years I have NOT been living in Puerto Rico 😀

[davidd]

Scott

these laws affect mostly small to med business.. the large companies have lots of money so they dont even feel it.

truthfully

in my observations.. the talent pool here is very small

we cannot even build a baily bridge correctly 🙂

seriously

you mentioned hundreds of offshore hiring tens of thousands LOL

I am sure that larger tax benefits are at play for the reasons.. it not for the great talent here.

I start my work day at 9am here and i have all employee’s logg on at 9am my time.. on skype. we have a first meeting to discuss tasks and they log off for lunch for 1/2 hour and finish work at 4pm my time.

if they dont do a good job..

I fire them

no aguinaldo… no labor laws.. no anything

the only thing is they cannot go and clean the house 🙂

[davidd]

[quote=”VictoriaLST”]Mix about 1/3 boric acid with 2/3 grape jelly and spread about 1/2 teaspoon out in spots where you have seen ants. Its amazing. They will gobble it up, go home, and die.[/quote]

where do you buy boric acid here in costa rica?? some great solutions.. thanks

[davidd]

[quote=”vriggle”]All of a sudden it seems like almost everybody we know is leaving Costa Rica to return to the US. They say that after a few years, they realized they didn’t want to be there “forever” so back they went. It’s scaring us as we continue to plan to retire because this is NOT a reversible decision for us. I so much want to hear from people who have been in CR for more than 7 years and still plan to stay. Are you out there?[/quote]

Vriggle

I have been here now for 15 years.. and would never move back to the U.S… although I would be open to a new emerging country if costa rica changes to the extreme.

There are many levels of crime

low level street crime which most people pay attention to and the top level crimes like corruption and over taxation

war

the list goes on and on.

Crimes like the government monkeys making decisions to go and bomb another country under the guise of freedom or some rhetoric.

People that leave.. it has been my experience is that they were misled to some extent by topical information.. and thinking they were going to move here and replicate thier suburban life cheaper..

you have to study and make rational decisions by coming to your own conclusions by actually living here in various parts of thecountry and see if this is for you.

It’s not the same as moving to Florida.. its a different country.. and as such you need to leave your predisposed values and ideas and indoctrinated views of how life should be back in the states

and be flexible but dilligent in your end results.

[davidd]

Scott

so how was Guatemala??? will there be soon a weloveguatemala.com???

how about some inside info 🙂

[davidd]

Pharg

thanks for the info..

I would have to agree.. CR is not immigrant friendly..

and your also right about corruption here.. but every government is corrupt

and the size of corruption is always related to the size of government

the larger government.. the more corrupt.

simple math

the difference here is that Costa Rica does not invade other countries for $$$

[quote=”pharg”][quote=”Scott”]Having dealt with the Hacienda (Costa

All governments – most of which which are bankrupt – have to get more aggressive at collecting taxes that are owed now and will try hard to implement new taxes in the future….
[/quote]
Many, many people tune in here with questions and intentions of moving to Costa Rica. The advantages of C.R. are many: social, climatic, and personal – they have been discussed in many forums.

The World Economic Forum has issued it 2012-2013 report on global competitiveness and ,though Costa Rica’s rating has improved slightly, it’s not all that great. The report can be downloaded at:
http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2012-13.pdf

The overall ranking: 57 of 144 countries, sandwiched in between Slovenia and Cyprus. The criteria and C.R.’s ranking are:

Basic requirements 67
Institutions 53
Infrastructure 74
Macroeconomic environment65
Health/education 57

The report says (according to a Tico Times story), in order to get closer to the higher-income and more innovative countries, Costa Rica must confront at least 16 problems, the report states. The most challenging are excessive bureaucracy, poor transport infrastructure, difficulty in accessing financing, excessive tax regulations and corruption.
I have not read the entire report, but having been a one-time inhabitant of and frequent visitor to, C.R since 1979, This assessment seems accurate to me. And in the past decade these very problems seem to be accelerating despite the earlier report; as a whole IMHO the country is less welcoming to immigrants (which is what we are) than it was just 10 years ago.
While most (all?) governments are corrupt, C.R.’s would rank higher than 57, I believe.
[/quote]

[davidd]

Scott

talk to me.. are you doing some diligence and looking for the next place to move 🙂 how is Guatemala???

weather, high speed internet???

costa rica may very well price itself out of the market over the next 10 years..

it’s like having the 3 stooges at the helm of this country

imagine.. spending $650,000 to a company for a stupid slogan like [b]Esencial Costa Rica[/b]

I mean really

[quote=”Scott”][quote=”windom”]Thank you Scott and CostaRicaFinca for the clarification. Is there a way to find out more about those apartments in Santa Ana area?[/quote]

Sorry or the delay – We are travelling in Guatemala at the moment…

You can see our own apartment at [ https://www.welovecostarica.com/public/3987.cfm ] (which is one of the larger units) but there are not too many of the larger apartments available for rent at the moment …

Mayra has a 2 bedroom, one bathroom, fully furnished 78M2 apartment available now for $1,200 and a few others…

The smallest is a 70M2 fully furnished, one bedroom/one bathroom for $1,000

Mayra’s email is mayraclaveria@gmail.com

Scott
[/quote]

[davidd]

Scott

you are 100%

focus on the renewable s as we have the energy available.

I love the fact our little country generates much of its power alternative energy.

I believe costa rica is a precious gem in spite of themselves and the only thing that can do us in is

the Americanization of our little country.

culture
media
fast food
immoral government
immoral society
violence

did you read the aussie athlete that was gunned down for no reason other than it was the thing to do at the moment

have you heard any word from the Muslim??? or Al Sharpton

disgusting

[quote=”Scott”]I think it would be a better idea to take advantage of all the sun, wind, geothermal and hydro-energy we have access to BEFORE we ever begin to think about exploring for oil in this beautiful little country ….

Costa Rica is missing the boat on the “environmental” aspect of things…

We have more than enough water but we don’t manage it effectively, we have enough sunshine to power everything forever but we don’t exploit that or make it affordable and continued political gridlock prevents us from exploiting the geothermal energy because they are nearly all located inside ‘national parks.’

What do you think?

Scott
[/quote]

[davidd]

Scott

your right

but then again its a win/win for them because most people are like sheep and they all jump over themselves trying to follow the letter of the law in everything they do.

great citizens actually. 🙂

I would bet if taken on a sliding percentage basis and making things all equal.. Us gringos probably comply with more laws here than the normal average tico.

Look at the luxury tax scenario

they came out with a law that they themselves changed a dozen times because it was not really thought thru

all the news came out and in the end the true people of compliance.. that actually paid.. were tagged the following times because now they raised their hand

and still compliance was limited but still profitable because that money goes into the black abyss of

it’s for the poor. 🙂

would love to know how much money was collected and actualized and accounted for

I remember even sir Scott of Nottingham was tagged because the building he lives in

fair??? heck no

but they are getting better Scott

and what happened that nobody really talks about was the ingenious way they came up with the corp tax and how that was collected

so they killed 2 birds with one stone.

tax and semi streamlined collections.

Watch for trends of new taxes and payment integration into services that must be already paid.

like an addition to a water bill

or phone bill

etc etc

you can also see more aggressive behaviors when purchasing things monthly.. they are all falling in love with EFT!!!!

keep things as simple as possible is my advice 🙂

if a guy like johnny boy can win an election here things will get worse. he left the mayors office in such a disarray that the new mayor was actually hesitant taking over being nervous of things coming out of the closet.

[quote=”Scott”][quote=”costaricafinca”]A new law is intended to be implemented soon, regarding renting out condos, vacation homes, etc. if they are rented for over 15 days, where you will have to pay 13.5% tax. How this is going to play out, I have no idea…:roll:…but it [u]may[/u] make you decision easier…or not.[/quote]

It will be interesting to see if the authorities are as “efficient” as they are in implementing this as they are with other tax collection efforts…

Scott
[/quote]

[davidd]

[quote=”Scott”]This would certainly be good news for future expats if the politicians in Costa Rica actually paid attention to this kind of news and then implemented competitive programs which attracted and ultimately benefitted expats (and Costa Rica) who wished to live here and start businesses here but, they do not and I don’t believe that will change anytime soon.

Scott

[/quote]

[davidd]

Scott

just saw your video you running on the beach

dont take this the wrong way.

you have the body of a Greek adonis.. keep up the good work keep up the good work.

how do you keep fit especially when your behind a computer all the time.

[davidd]

[quote=”bob switzer”]We are sending down a container and would like to have some input on what things we should make sure we pack, or things that are hard to find or of not good quality in CR.
We are sending a car, after that any suggestions?
(household items, tools, construction supplies, household appliances ….any or all things, large or small?)
Does anyone know of a good book that might contain a list of must pack things for shipping?
Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thanks[/quote]

Bob

Please don’t forget the Kit Kats!!! 🙂

[davidd]

Sweikert

resident WLCR clown

coming from you I take that as a compliment!!!! 🙂

thank you

I do have to congratulate you!!!!!

why???

and maybe I can get some feedback from long term members here

Sweikert has brought a level of stupidity to this forum that I have never experienced before.

I don’t think I have ever experienced this kind of trolling anywhere else

anyway

enjoy your sunday

David AKA the resident WLC Clown

quote=”sweikert925″][quote=”lvc1028″]I go to the store and spend $1.50 on an apple or a green pepper–and they’re grown here locally.
[/quote]

I suggest you shop elsewhere for apples. Here in Chicago at my grocery store the price for red delicious apples is currently $1.59 a POUND. Since a single apple weighs about 2/3 of a pound that makes the price per apple about $1.07.

As it happens, the US Department of Agriculture publishes the average weekly national prices of all kinds of fruits and vegetables (I can already hear the groans from some of you), and according to their latest reports the national price per pound of apples ranged from $1.06/pound for the Gala variety to $2.49/pound for the Jonathan variety.

I would provide the link, but you would insist it was totally irrelevant, imxploring would insist that it was all lies and the resident WLCR clown would simply post another link to a story about the murder rate in Chicago plus another to a totally irrelevant youtube video.

[quote=”lvc1028″]
And,BTW, gas is still $3.70 a gallon here.
[/quote]

There is a website called GasBuddy that keeps track of the average national price of a gallon of gas and has statistics that go back 11 years. It is NOT an arm of the federal government but a collective effort of many people who individually report the prices that they experience in their local communities. Precisely the kind of information you should be prepared to accept. According to that, the nationwide average price is currently $3.617/gallon – pretty close to what you report. But if you look at the average over the past 3 years the price has fluctuated but not increased much. It’s nowhere near the peak price of $4.12/gallon that we hit in August 2008.

[quote=”lvc1028″]There are people with open minds and those that dig their heels in. [/quote]

We agree on that. But I have already stated repeatedly and explicitly that I don’t believe that the US economy is doing well. I point people to sources that show evidence of both good and bad economic trends. You insist that only your personal experience on this matters and I say that the experiences of all of us should be taken into account. So which of us has an open mind on this and which of us has his mind hermetically sealed shut?[/quote]

[davidd]

Imxploring

ignore this TROLL.. this is the only thing to do as he will lead you into the mindless endless loop of his delusions

This guy probably has never even visited costa rica at all.. I am going to contact Lundquist and see if he repeats his nonsense in other forums.

I must admit I have even been sucked into this at times.. but that is what a Troll does

no matter what logic you throw at him he will be the same..

here are a few things to say to quiet him down

“geeezz Sweikert… your right!!!””

“wow.. you sure are a smart guy sweikert”

“how does it feel to be you”

and so on and so on

[quote=”imxploring”][quote=”sweikert925″]This horse expired quite some time ago but I am going to beat it one more time in the hopes that SOME light penetrates the dark corners of some of your minds.

[quote=”lvc1028″]He talks about what he reads…not what he lives. “Because I said so”, is not how I live as he says. I based my opinion on what I see…not what I read.
[/quote]

Incorrect. I base my opinions on my own experiences [b]AS WELL[/b] as what I read. And what I read is simply what others’ experiences are – including yours. You seem to believe that your experience – and [b]ONLY YOUR[/b] experience – matters in determining what is going on in the entire US economy. I can only imagine what kind of abuse I would get here if I had the arrogance to suggest that only my own opinions and experiences matter.

Why is that only [b]YOUR[/b] personal experience matters? Why not mine or those of imxploring or of my bank teller or of the guy who prepares your taxes or some randomly selected person in Dubuque Iowa or San Jose California or Bangor Maine? The statistics you dismiss so contemptuously are simply experiences gathered from all of those people but you seem to think they are less valuable than just your own. Why is that? I find that bizarre and completely illogical.

[quote=”lvc1028″]I wonder how he figures into the equation all of the people that are no longer collecting UI benefits. They are unemployed, right? So, those millions no longer collecting a weenickel…what would that do to the 7+% rate?
[/quote]

Apparently you are unaware that the BLS issues numerous statistics every month on the unemployment situation and one of them – called U-6 – takes exactly those people into account. It tends not to get reported in the media so most people don’t know about it. For June of this year, that figure went up – significantly – from 13.8% in May to 14.3% last month. A very bad number. But that’s only one month’s data. Over the previous 12 months, the number is still lower than it was – 14.8% in June 2012 and 14.3% this June. In 2011 the monthly average was 15.9%, in 2010-16.7%, in 2009-16.2%.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm

To imxploring: If, as you insist with no evidence, the BLS engages in publishes lies to make the situation look better than it is, why would they publish that number?
[/quote]

Steve I’m very aware of the various metrics the government uses in reporting economic activity, unemployment, money supply and how it relates to the FRB’s monetary policy.

The manipulation is two fold. As you are aware there are different metrics reported with unemployment as there are with money supply(m1, m2, m3, etc). I strong disagree with the method by which they are calculated, was the inclusion of the members of the military years ago to bring down the unemployment numbers an honest change in reporting unemployment or was it a means by which the BLS was able to massage the numbers to make them look better at the time? Think for a moment, does the census actually capture EVERYONE? What makes anyone think a weekly or month employment statistic is any more accurate or not subject to manipulation?

The second part of the manipulation is NOT the media’s failure to report the CORRECT measure of unemployment/underemployment. IT’S the government’s goal and their efforts to keep that number out of the spotlight. While we might know that there are other unemployment measures and numbers that are much higher and a truer representation of the problem they are never mentioned by our elected officials, just the lowest number possible. The FEDS own meeting minutes and the public statements made by Bernanke about easing off on QE only refer to the lowest possible metric in measuring unemployment. Why, because they count on most people not knowing the truth and believing that “unemployment” is at about 7% and getting better!

Is that the media “manipulating” the situation, nope, that’s the government doing so!

You might find this link interesting. Old info but it gives some interesting insights to the issue.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15768195/ns/business-answer_desk/t/who-does-government-count-employed/

So who was on that presidential commission? Who appointed them? And what do you think their agenda was in adjusting the method by which unemployment was calculated? I seem to remember the numbers went down. What I don’t remember was a lot of the “professionals” at the BLS taking issue with the changes made.

Be sure to read the question and answer from Tony. Seems when they changed the methodology again in the 1990’s it was because the military and they way they reported information wasn’t clear enough for the BLS. So what crystal ball does the BLS use now with the general public if our own military was unable to provide numbers the BLS felt were accurate enough? More of an educated guess I’m thinking, with a little bit of agenda sprinkled in from our elected officials![/quote]

[davidd]

pixframe

Thank you 🙂

but I think sweikert will find some internet site that will dispute this as well

lying and corruption is part of government.. and like you say.. ALL governments are corrupt ( and incompetent)

the difference with the U.S. is the SIZE of government!!!

corruption is here as well but its a smaller government

heck.. I actually commend Costa Rica.. as they may be one of the few countries that actually imprisoned 2 past presidents..

do you think a U.S. president will EVER be imprisoned??

[quote=”pixframe”]Lied about something? It’s a chronic condition. I’m wondering how inconvenient the government “facts” told to the men of the Tuskegee Experiment were to them … or how inconvenient it was to the Ground Zero clean up crew by the governement telling them the “fact” the area was safe and hazard free for them to work in!

The government (and not just that of the USA) manipulate facts to present us with the picture they want portrayed to us. They don’t trust we can handle the truth … and my guess is most can’t.

[quote=”sweikert925″]OK, let me see if I have it right. Because a government official lied about something, you feel free to assume any facts issued by any other official or branch of government that is inconvenient to your opinions is a lie. Got it.

I assume at some point in your life you told a lie. (I can assume that with no evidence because you assume things with no evidence so that is apparently OK). Therefore I can claim anything you say now or at any point in the future is a lie. I wouldn’t dream of actually doing that, but according to your rules of logic I could.[/quote][/quote]

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